The Adventures of Parenthood
by JustTamm
Summary: AU: Collins and Angel have an adopted son named Jason.
1. Fear Factor

**_A/N: _**I come with another fic. This was an idea that I've been playing around with for a while, so I decided to type it up and post it. Thanks for all the reviews for my other fics. :) I loves!! Please R & R and no flames please. Enjoy!!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RENT, I'm just borrowing.

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"Are you sure you're ready?" 

"Yeah. I think I have everything."

"Tissues?"

"Check."

"Two juice boxes?"

"Check."

"Extra clean shirt?"

"Check."

"Earplugs?"

"Check."

"Yep. That's everything. Let's go."

"Why do we need all this stuff, Angel? It's just a quick trip to the doctor. We'll probably be there for thirty minutes, tops."

I smile at his delusions. "You weren't there the last time to learn the lessons that I learned. We're taking _all_ this stuff."

"It might not be as bad this time. He's older now."

I snort. Yeah, right. I pick up the backpack full of emergency supplies, grab Jason by the hand, and head out to the car.

I can see the doubt on Collins' face while we head downstairs out of the apartment building. I wasn't exaggerating about needing all that stuff, though. I only hope that I didn't forget anything. Joanne was a big help when it came to tips to make your kid think the doctor's office is fun.

Lots of kids are scared of the doctor, I guess. A stranger with weird clothes and all sorts of scary instruments tries to poke and prod you and stick things in your orifices--and not in a good way. It's a wonder we're _all_ not terrified of the doctor. I wish Collins could pass some of his cool vibe to our son. Jason has taken fear of the doctor to a whole new level...

**Our first visit to the doctor**

"Don't touch me! I don't wanna die!" Collins was trying to calm Jason down. I was apologizing to the doctor who was a very nice woman. She still is very nice, even though Jason was the cause of her first gray hairs.

"Jason, it's okay. Tell Daddy why you're scared." Both of us were a little terrified about what he might say. He had only been with us for a couple of months at that point and we didn't know if he'd been through any trauma or abuse. Luckily, Collins was an island of calm. He sat on the floor and pulled Jason onto his lap and talked to him.

A big sniff and a few fat tears running down his face completed the picture of the most miserable three year old in the world. "I don't wanna die," he sobbed.

"Oh, little man, you're not going to die. The doctor just has to check you and make sure everything is okay. She's really nice."

The nice doctor stood nearby, smiling and trying to look non-threatening. Jason wasn't buying the act.

"You said…" His lower lip was quivering.

Collins frowned. "What did I say?" Now another big sniff before the answer. I looked around for tissues, spied a box on the counter, and handed it to Collins.

Through the tissue which Collins was using to clean his face, we heard Jason's muffled voice say, "You said I was gonna get shot."

Collins looked at me and paled a little. I hate to say "I told you so" to anyone, but I did. I _told _him not to warn Jason about the vaccinations that far ahead of time. I wish he had listened to me.

We had the first of many long talks with Jason and convinced him that he wasn't about to be dragged in front of a firing squad. We also had to bribe him with stickers and toys. He cried a little after the vaccination, but a bear hug from Collins (who gives the _best_ bear hugs) and a kiss from me and he was okay.

**Three and a half years old--a visit to the dermatologist**

"Don't touch my spots! I don't want you to take my spots!"

Harry Houdini was a hack compared to Jason. No matter where we go, Jason always avoids capture by finding a nook or cranny or piece of furniture that he manages to squeeze into or under or behind. It's a talent that I've learned to respect and fear.

Collins was on his hands and knees trying to convince Jason to come out--a position that he had become very familiar with. He didn't look half bad either. Let's just say that the man _knows_ how to wear a pair of pants. While Collins was bargaining with our toddler under the table, the dermatologist was giving me a list of non-painful ways to get rid of warts. Damn. I had been hoping to get them frozen off or burned off or whatever was done to make them go away. The ones on his hands didn't bother me, but the two on his foot were rubbing against his shoe. So that's why we were sitting (or kneeling) in this nice man's office while Jason was hiding under the table, barefoot and crying.

"Collins." He looked back at me from where he was kneeling. "Let's just take him home. It isn't worth it." I'd get him a couple of pairs of sandals and call it a day.

Collins agreed and then tried to convince Jason that it was over. "Jay, do you want to go home?"

"Uh huh." We couldn't see his face, but his quivering voice was crystal clear.

"Then you have to come out of there."

"No."

"We promise that the doctor won't touch your spots. He won't even look at them."

"No."

"How can we go home if you don't come out?" Ah. Reason and logic.

"No!" Reason and logic? What was I thinking? He's three and a half. Reason and logic are like science fiction in his universe.

"Okay. Mommy and I are leaving. You can stay here with the doctor." Threats and subterfuge. I liked that technique. It might even have worked. Collins stood up and walked to the door. A head of tousled hair and a pair of teary eyes peeped out from around the table. When Collins stepped back towards him, the head disappeared again. I decided to take charge.

"Come on. Let's just go, Collins." I walked out the door, pushing Collins in front of me. We hadn't taken more than a few steps down the hall before a three foot high figure streaked past us.

I turned to go back to the exam room. "You catch him. I'll go get his shoes."

**Five years old--a visit to the doctor because Jason had a sore throat**

"C'mon sweetie. The doctor just needs to look in your mouth for a few seconds." I had been pleading with him for a while. If only Collins had been there. He was so much better at this than me. I couldn't even get Jason to take his hands off of his mouth. He was grabbing his own face so hard that there were red marks on his cheeks. At least he couldn't scream very loudly with his mouth covered. My ears were still ringing from before, when he first realized where we were.

"As soon as you open your mouth we can go." He looked at me, mouth still covered, eyes wide as saucers, and shook his head in refusal.

The nurse and the doctor had tried all kinds of tricks--all failures:

"Pant like a dog ,Jason, with your tongue hanging out."

"Look, Jason! Open your mouth just like Mommy."

"I think I saw a bunny rabbit run in your mouth, Jason. You better let him out."

After a while, everyone in the room was sweating and Jason was crying silent tears.

"Watcha doin' to the baby?" We all turned, surprised to see a little girl, about Jason's age, standing in the doorway. She was adorable--enormous brown eyes with eyelashes to die for, hair done up in dozens of braids decorated with barettes, and dimples in her smooth brown cheeks. She must have wandered in from the room next door. I crouched down to talk to her.

"What's your name?"

"Diana."

"Are you with your mommy or your daddy, Diana?"

She nodded. "Mommy's over there," she said pointing to the next exam room.

"Maybe we should bring you back to your mommy."

"Why you makin' the baby cry?"

"He's sick. We're trying to make him better."

Suddenly what I thought was a cute little girl became a diva with attitude to spare. One hand went to her hip and the other hand pointed a finger in my face and announced, "Don't touch the baby! No ice cream for you!"

"Diana! Come back over here!" A woman who looked as flustered as I felt came out of the exam room and dragged Diana away, apologizing while she walked.

I sighed and turned back to Jason. He'd been sitting on the table, open-mouthed, watching Mommy being humiliated by a pint-sized warrior-woman. As soon as he realized we were looking at him again, he clapped his hands back over his mouth.

Later--much later, we walked back home. He was dirty. I was tired. We were both starving. Collins came home and found me passed out on the couch, Jason sprawled on top of me. He complained that it took him almost thirty minutes to clean up all the cookie crumbs, globs of jell-o, and peach yogurt that we'd spilled on the couch. I thought it was only fair that he do his part for the cause.

**Today--six years old--the dreaded yearly visit to the doctor**

We arrive at the doctor's office. When we're close to the office door, I suggest to Collins that he carry Jason in.

"Why? He can walk." But he's been burned before when he's ignored my warnings, so he picks him up. Jason loves being carried around because the view is so much better from up above. We walk into the office lobby. Like I might have predicted, Jason transforms instantly from a happy six year old, to a screaming banshee with six arms and six legs, all of which he is using to try to climb over Collins. I fish the earplugs out of the duffel bag and put them in my ears.

We're walking back home after the visit to the doctor. Jason's happily walking with my hand in his right hand and an empty juice box in his left.. His clothes are spotless. The shirt that he'd been wearing when we left the apartment is in the backpack, covered in juice stains. Collins is on Jason's other side holding his hand, looking stunned..

"How did you know?"

I shrug my shoulders. How does any parent know? I reach into the trusty backpack and pull out the box of tissues.

"It's a good thing you brought the tissues," Collins tells me. "He's got juice all over his face."

"These are for me." I pull out a tissue, wipe the sweat from my brow. With a clean corner of the tissue, I dab at my eyes.

"What's wrong with your eyes, Mommy?" Our son catches me dabbing as he looks up at me.

Collins looks over at me, obviously concerned. "Yeah, Ang. What's wrong with your eyes? They look a little red."

"Nothing. Allergies." We stop walking for a minute.

"Are you sure? Because--" He looks at me a little closer before I turn my face away. "Are you crying?"

"Of course not."

"You are! But why?"

What's the use in denying it. I motion my eyes to Jason.

"Jason?" He looks up at the mention of his name. "There's nothing wrong with him. You're not upset because of the doctor's visit are you?"

I nod wordlessly.

"But it's over. It wasn't even that bad. And he doesn't need to see the doctor for another year...What? What is it? Why are you shaking your head?"

"He has to go back for a physical before summer camp."

"When?"

"In three months."

**THE END**

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**_A/N:_** I hope you enjoyed this. One of the incidents is based on something I did when I was little, but I'm not telling which. I was thinking about making this into a series, but I wanted you guys' opinion on it. Just let me know in a review. BTW, I named Collins and Angel's son after my boyfriend...heehee :) 


	2. Synonyms

**_A/N: _**Thanks for helping me decideto make this into a series and also thanks for the reviews for **Fear Factor**. The only problem I'm having now is deciding on a good title for the series, so I'm open to suggestion from anyone who can think of something better than what I got. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story. You know the routine, read and review, and no flames (only losers do thoses) Also please check out my story I posted on called **Beauty**. I worked really hard on that story for a long time, so it's my baby. Just follow the link to my profile on from my profile on here and you'll find it. Please, please, please read it and tell me what you think of it I would be your bestest friend in the world if you do.:) Anyway, I'll shut up now LOL. Enjoy this story :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RENT, but I think it may own me_

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Synonym (noun): a word or expression accepted as another name for something _

Collins looked at the papers in his hand while he walked over to the bookshelf in the living room. He was sure that he owned the book referenced in the student's term paper, and he needed to check a few facts. He found Jason sitting at the table, leaning his head on one arm and twirling a pencil with his free hand. The eight-year old seemed lost in thought as he gazed at the ceiling. In front of him was a large book, open to the middle, and a blank piece of paper.

Collins found the book he needed and sat across next to Jason. After he had located the correct page and taken a few notes, he put the book back and left the living room again. In all that time, Jason continued to sit at the table, silent and introspective.

Half an hour later, sipping a cup of tea, Collins came back into the living room to carch up on his reading. Jason was sitting in the exact same position as before. The book was still open and the paper on the table was still blank.

"Jason, are you doing homework?"

"Yes, Dad." The pencil twirled one more time.

"Do you need any help?"

"No, thanks." Now the pencil was being spun on its point, leaving a small gray mark on the table.

Collins sighed and sat next to Jason again. "What do you have for homework?"

"English." Collins waited for one full minute for further explanation. Not getting it, he finally asked, "What do you have to do for English homework?"

"I hafta pick a word in the dictionary and use it in a sentence."

"Did you pick a word?"

"Yeah."

Collins fought back the urge to bang his head on the nearest wall and faked patience. "What's the word?" He raised his cup to take a long sip of tea while Jason told him the chosen word.

Luckily, it was easy to clean most of the coffee that Collins had sputtered all over the dictionary and the table before it did too much damage. The previously blank, now tea-splattered paper had to be discarded.

Later that same evening, the apartment was quiet and Collins and Angel were cuddling. The bed was shaking with Angel's laughter.

"Get outta here! You're making that up," she gasped between choking fits of laughter.

"I kid you not, Ang. It's in the dictionary."

"Bullshit."

"Do you want me to prove it to you? I will." Collins leapt out of the bed and strode out of the room. Angel sank back against the pillows, not laughing too much to appreciate Collins' perfect ass which were shown off to perfection in his boxers. A minute or two later, Collins returned, carrying a large dictionary. He climbed back into bed with book in hand.

"You know honey, you don't really have to show me the page. I could think of much more interesting things we could be doing in bed." Angel waggled her eyebrows suggestively and tried to strike a sexy pose. Collins, who was flipping through the pages in the book, ignored her efforts.

"Aha! Here it is." He handed the book to her.

Angel found the correct line and began to read it aloud: "'...a plant of the gourd family, _Ecballium elaterium_; native in the Mediterranean region, whose ripened fruit forcibly ejects the seed and juice.'" She looked up at Collins who was looking at her in quiet triumph. "How the hell did you use this word in a sentence? I never even heard of a...a..." she fell into helpless giggles again.

"It's called a squirting cucumber, Angel...and it's not THAT funny."

Angel wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, but that word makes me think of a whole list of others--none of which should be used in a third-grade English assignment."

Collins raised his eyebrows in mock curiosity. "Oh yeah? Like what for instance?" He smiled at the blush that arose in Angel's cheeks. It was sweet how the silliest things could make her blush.

"Oh...you know," Angel said waving her hand at a whole host of invisible words.

Collins refused to let her get off that easy. "Maybe. Why don't you refresh my memory." He leaned over and kissed Angel on the lips, but pulled back before the kiss could be extended. The next kiss landed on Angel's cheek. He paused there when Angel did not speak. "I'm waiting."

"Uh...penis."

Collins gave her a peck on the neck. "That's too easy. Try again."

"Dick." She was rewarded with a kiss along the collarbone, which tickled and tantalized.

"Keep going."

"Boner."

"A little bit high school, but I'll accept it." He licked Angel along the collarbone, dragging his tongue slowly, enjoying the slightly salty taste of sweat.

Angel frantically tried to think of another word, but her mind was distracted by the tingly sensation on her chest. "How about hard-on?"

Collins smiled. "A classic. I like it." He slowly licked the other collarbone, dampening the top, and the bottom, then planting a small kiss at the end.

By then, Angel was ready with the next word. "Erection."

"Appropriate." Collins kissed his way down to Angel's nipple and drew it into the hot wetness of his mouth. He stroked the stiff nub once, twice, then three times, before letting go and waiting.

Tiny beads of sweat had broken out on Angel's forehead. She wracked her brain for an endless minute before finally barking out, "Tumescence!"

Collins looked very pleased. "Have you been reading the dictionary, too? Or maybe a few romance novels. I found one hidden in the drawer, you know."

"Stop talking so much!" Angel grasped Collins' head in her hands and pulled it close to the other nipple that was perking up and waiting for attention. That nipple was bathed with Collins' moist mouth and tongue and dried with hot breath. Afterwards, he waited again. Angel's eyes were squeezed shut. Collins could practically see the wheels turning. "I can't think of anything!" she cried in frustration.

"What? Is that all?" He measured the distance from Angel's nipples to down lower with his eyes, tisked, and said wryly, "We've got a long way to go."

Angel sat up suddenly and with determination. "Gimme that dictionary!"

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**_A/N:_** Hope you liked it. More chapters to come in the near future :) 


	3. Little Angels

**_A/N: _**Well I'm back with another chapter. And thanks for all the reviews (hands out goodies to all the people who reviewed) I hope you all like this one, and if you don't, feel free to throw rotten tomatoes at me. 

**Disclaimer: **I will never in a million, gazillion, bajillion years own RENT or any of the characters. (I wish they were real so I could have a secret affair with Collins. Although I will most definitely get my ass kicked by Angel...LOL) 

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**10:00 p.m.**

"I don't know, Sean. I don't think my Aunt Mimi will laugh about this. She's already mad about the stove."

"How was I supposed to know that would happen? Anyway, we cleaned it up, didn't we?"

"And the book that you ripped?"

"It was heavy and it slipped out of my hands."

"Yeah, but--"

"Don't be such a pussy, Jason."

"I am not a pussy! Give me that ketchup bottle."

**Earlier that evening**

"Okay, Meems. Here are the numbers for the police department, Jason's doctor and the Poison Control Center." Angel led Mimi to the bathroom with Collins trailing behind them. "Here's a key for this medicine cabinet. There are bandages, antibiotic spray, tweezers...whatever you need." She walked her out of the bathroom and to the kitchen, showing her a small cabinet. "This is where we keep all the cleaning supplies and hazardous chemicals down there. Here's the key for that, too." Angel looked at her with worry. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Mimi rolled her eyes with impatience. "You know, I HAVE done this before. And I managed to do it without turning the place into a maximum security lock-down. Only one of Jason's friends is staying over, right? How much trouble could they possibly cause in a few hours?"

Collins tried to quietly signal Angel not to respond, but it was already too late as soon as the words were out of Mimi's mouth. Angel looked at her as if she had sprouted another head and then burst into uncontrollable laughter. Collins waited patiently for his lover to collect herself while Mimi looked at her with confusion.

"What the hell is so funny about what I said?"

Angel stopped laughing long enough to wipe the tears from her eyes and gasp, "I completely forgot!"

"Forgot what?"

"You haven't done this before, have you?"

"What? I baby-sit Jason all the time."

Angel shook her head and started to giggle again. "When there's two of them, it's a whole different game. And you've never met Sean. He's--"

"ANGEL!" Angel looked up in surprise at Collins' barking command. He looked even more puzzled when Collins grabbed her gently by the arm and dragged her to the living room. "Excuse us, Meems. We just need to have a word. We'll be right back."

The couple left the kitchen while Mimi stood there, burning with curiosity about their sudden need to talk privately. She peeked through the doorway, but her friends were on the opposite side of the living room, whispering too quietly for her to catch more than a word or two. "Oh, well," she said to herself. "Might as well keep busy." She went to the fridge to figure out what to make for dinner for Jason and his little friend, Sean.

In the living room, Collins cupped Angel's cheek gently. "Baby, you know I love you."

She smiled up at him with a glimmer in her eyes. "Of course. And I love you too."

"And you know you mean the world to me?"

Her smile broadened. "It's the same for me."

Suddenly Collins grabbed Angel's shoulders and shook him softly. "Have you lost your mind? Are you trying to scare her off? I've been wanting to take you out for a romantic dinner for weeks! You're throwing away our golden opportunity."

Angel looked abashed. "Sorry. I just didn't want her to have any unpleasant surprises."

"You know what happens if she leaves now?"

"We send Sean home and have a nice dinner, just the three of us?" said Angel hopefully.

"No, baby. Sean stays HERE, because his mother won't be back from her trip until 11:30 tonight."

"Oh." Angel looked at her watch and quickly did the math in his head. "Oh!"

From the fridge, Mimi had taken out some meat and a box of spaghetti. She was rooting around for spaghetti sauce when Angel and Collins reentered the kitchen.

Angel spoke hurriedly. "All right, chica. The boys are in Jason's room. We're off! See you in a few hours."

"Yes. We'll see you later, Mimi," added Collins in his deep voice. The two of them rapidly grabbed their coats and headed for the door.

"Wait a minute!"

Collins and Angel turned slowly and reluctantly to face her.

"Why are you in such a freakin' rush all of a sudden?"

The couple looked at each other before Collins spoke in reply. "We don't want to be late getting to the restaurant and then the place will be packed."

She looked at them with suspicion, so Angel added, "Yeah. It's Friday night and we're going to that new Indian restaurant Mo has been talking about. She says the food is great. We'll bring you back something, okay?" Angel quickly pecked Mimi on the cheek before sprinting out of the house with Collins in tow.

They weren't gone for five minutes before Mimi heard a loud crash coming from the bedrooms. She said a quick prayer. "Oh, Lord. What did I get myself into? Please don't let them kill me."

**7:15 p.m.**

"Don't worry, Aunt Mimi. We'll get dinner started while you fix Dad's book."

"Hold it, Jason! You and Sean are not to go near that kitchen!"

"But why? Dad always lets me help when he cooks."

"I am warning you to stay out of there! Go watch TV or something."

"But Dad doesn't like me to watch too much TV."

"I grew up with my eyes practically glued to the TV and I turned out okay. Now, go. And try not to touch anything!" she called out uselessly after the departing figures of Jason and his friend. "They must stay awake night thinking of ways to torment us," she muttered to herself. After the liberal use of tape, Collins' book was as good as new...as long as no one tried to open it. She hadn't been shocked to find the two boys looking through the book with all the nude Greek pictures. The shock had only begun when Sean had accidentally dropped the book, ripping out five pages in the process. Satisfied that she had done her best, she put the book back on the shelf. She was sure that Collins would be understanding. He was so cool, it was practically inhuman.

Mimi stood up and stretched. She took a deep breath and was alarmed to smell something burning. She took off running to the kitchen, screaming, "Jason! Sean!"

**8:00 p.m.**

"And don't stop until every bit is scraped out of there," Mimi ordered.

"But Aunt Mimi--"

"No, Jason! I told you not to touch anything, but you wouldn't listen. Now you two have to clean up after yourselves."

Jason set his jaw mutinously. "We were just trying to help."

"You can help more by NOT burning the apartment down. You two keep working. I'm going to the key for the cabinet so we could find some oven cleaner."

As soon as she was gone, Jason turned on his best friend. "This is YOUR fault."

Sean raised his eyebrows in innocence. The look was completed by golden brown curls which surrounded his head like a halo and had helped to escape punishment many times before. "How was I supposed to know it would melt like that?"

"I TOLD you we were supposed to use foil, not plastic." He scraped a little more at the plastic wrap which had melted all over the inside of the stove and was now clinging in blackened lumps all over the rack.

"I guess my mom uses plastic in the microwave, not the stove. Still, you don't have to get your panties in a twist."

"Shut up, butthead!"

"Boys!" Their heads shot up at Mimi's silent return. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Neither boy spoke for the next thirty minutes.

**8:30 p.m.**

Sean broke the silence by asking, "So what are we gonna eat for dinner? I'm starving."

Jason looked dubiously at the black, charcoal-like lump in the trash. "I dunno. I think Aunt Mimi was too mad to make something else. We could just make sandwiches."

Sean sneered a little. "We had sandwiches for lunch. I want REAL food." He thought for a minute. "I know! We could make French fries! That's real easy. My mom makes them all the time."

Jason began to get that sinking feeling in his stomach again, but he thought French fries sounded pretty good. "We better not make a mess or else we're gonna get it."

"We'll be done before she wakes up from her nap."

Jason walked to the kitchen doorway. He could see Mimi sleeping on the couch. He felt a little guilty that she was so tired, but he also felt hungry. He turned back to Sean. "What do we need?"

**9:00 p.m.**

"Those were good, Sean."

"See. I told you so. And your Aunt Mimi didn't even wake up."

"True, but we better clean this all up fast." Jason lugged the pot of hot oil to the sink and put it down carefully. "Is it okay if we dump this down the sink while it's hot?"

For the first time that night, Sean seemed unsure. "Maybe we should let it cool down first. I think that's what my mom does."

Jason ran to the doorway. Mimi was starting to stir. "We can't wait. If she wakes up and sees this, she's gonna get mad. Maybe if we dump cold water on it--" He quickly flipped on the faucet.

"Jason, NO!"

**9:20 p.m.**

Mimi sat at the kitchen table, fuming. She watched while the two boys scrubbed down all the kitchen cabinets in a fruitless effort to eliminate the oil which coated everything in sight. All three of them had already slipped and fallen on the oily floor at least twice each.

Sean whispered to Jason, "What about the stuff on the ceiling? We can't reach it without a ladder."

Jason spared a quick glance for the oil stains on the kitchen ceiling. He whispered back, "Shh. Don't say anything. I don't think she noticed that yet."

"I'm still hungry, too."

"You can eat when you get home, Sean."

They continued their work under Mimi's watchful eye.

**Present time--10:05 p.m.**

Jason frowned at his friend. "She'll know I'm faking."

Sean smiled devilishly. "No she won't. I did this to my mom and she almost hit the ceiling."

Jason gnawed his lip in worry. "Wasn't that the time you were grounded for two weeks?"

"Nah, she just yelled at me."

"Okay. What do I do?"

"Just do like this." Sean stretched out on the floor to demonstrate. "And you can't move a muscle or smile or laugh."

Jason lay on the floor as instructed. Sean looked at him critically. "Put your leg this way." He looked again. "Turn your head that way." He judged the scene. "Perfect! Except you need a little more..." He tipped the bottle of ketchup. "Okay. Don't move. I hear her coming." Sean grabbed an object from the floor and stood over his friend--waiting.

**10:06 p.m.**

Nathan Brown and his girlfriend, Alicia, were lounging comfortably in their apartment, enjoying a movie. They looked up from the TV when they heard blood curdling screams.

"Did you just hear something, baby?" asked Nathan calmly.

Alicia cocked her head to the side and listened carefully. Another scream rang through the air. "Yeah. It's coming from Collins and Angel's."

"Again? What will that boy of theirs think of next?"

They both returned to the movie without further comment.

Angel kissed Collins tenderly and sighed with contentment. "That was wonderful."

Collins hugged Angel to his right side as they walked up the stairs to their apartment. "The best part was just being with you. I wish we could get away for a whole weekend, just the two of us."

Angel smiled happily. "Well maybe Mimi will baby-sit for us again in...What the hell?"

As they walked down the hall to their door, Angel noticed how quiet it was. A little too quiet. She immediately began to run through a thousand scenarios--each one more horrifying than the next. "Oh my god!" She ran down the hall and burst through the door in a panic, then stopped in utter amazement.

Mimi was sitting and reading a book quietly. Soft music played on the radio. The boys were neatly dressed and sitting on the floor playing a quiet game of checkers. Nothing was out of place and nothing seemed wrong except for a faint hint of burnt plastic and oil in the air.

"Hey, chica. How was dinner?"

"Uh...great. How was your night?" Angel lent half an ear to Mimi's answer while she looked curiously around the room for signs of disaster. Collins walked into the apartment a minute later.

"Hey Meems. How were the boys? Not too much trouble, we hope?" The boys in question ducked their heads, seemingly entranced by the checker board. Neither of them even said hello.

"No trouble. Everything was fine. They were perfect angels."

Angel whispered out of the side of her mouth to Collins, "Quick. Check the other rooms for damage."

He nodded. "Let me just set this down in the kitchen," he said out loud, holding up a couple of small bags of leftovers. He walked calmly to the kitchen before making a small dash around to the other rooms. He rejoined the others within a few minutes and sat on the couch next to Angel.

She mouthed, "Well?" at him.

He shrugged his shoulders and mouthed back, "Everything's fine." He turned to Mimi and said, "Thanks Meems. We really needed the night off. Maybe you could do this again sometime."

She raised an eyebrow wordlessly. "I don't know. I'm not getting any younger, you know."

Collins looked surprised. "You? You're always so full of energy. Besides, I thought you said they were perfect angels.

Mimi muttered under her breath, "Satan started off as an angel, too."

"What was that?"

"Nothing...Sure. You need a babysitter, you just call me. But maybe it should be just Jason next time. No offense, Sean." She added the last for the boy who had looked up in dismay. "Well, I'm beat and I need to get home." She stood and a heavy object fell out of her lap.

Angel stooped to pick it up. "Uh, Mimi? Why are you carrying a butcher knife around?" She looked more closely at it. "And why is there ketchup on it?"

Mimi sighed wearily and walked to the door. "Ask the two little 'angels' to explain. I'm too tired." She grabbed her coat and purse and walked out the door, tired and stressed out, but with a new sense of lightness. Collins and Angel followed her to the door. "And by the way, Sean's mom called. Her plane was grounded due to bad weather." She ignored the looks of alarm on Angel and Collins' faces and delivered the bad news bluntly. "She won't be back until tomorrow morning. Good luck" And with those final words, Mimi disappeared down the steps, thanking the higher powers for her not having any kids

**The End.**

**

* * *

_A/N:_** Hope you liked. You already know the drill. :) Also there will be 2 or 3 more chapters until this story,series, whatever you wanna call it, is complete. Just giving you guys a heads up. 


	4. TLC

**_A/N: _**Here's another chapter for you folks. Two more chapters until the end :( Once again thanks for the reviews and whatnot. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Also I know this has nothing to do with RENT, but I wanna say I'm so happy right now for Jennifer Hudson for winning a Golden Globe for her role as Effie in Dreamgirls. She is AMAZING!! I'm a fan of hers for life! Go J. Hud!!! 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own RENT or its characters. They are the property of the late Jonathan Larson and his family.

* * *

"What if it's really not necessary?" 

"You're forgetting how many times he got sick this year."

"But what if something--?"

"Shush. I think he's awake."

Their voices faded. _They must have moved to another room_, thought Jason. He was tossing and turning in bed, trying to fall asleep and trying not to think about tomorrow. It wasn't working. As quietly as he could, he slipped out of bed and went to the mirror hanging above his dresser. In the top drawer he found a flashlight he had stashed there and shined it into his own mouth.

Freaking tonsils. They didn't look like they should be so much trouble. They certainly didn't look like they were worth the whispered disagreements between his parents or the trip to the hospital tomorrow.

He had heard the word 'tonsillectomy' dozens of times, but every time made him sick to his stomach. Over the years, the trips to the doctor had become a regular thing. Every time he told himself it wouldn't be that bad, out came the tongue depressor. He resented the doctor's coaxing. Someone would always smile and laugh and say something they thought was funny--even his parents. But that sick, spinning feeling in his stomach wasn't funny to him--that feeling that everything he'd ever eaten that day was about to make a reappearance would remain until the stick was out his mouth and they were on their way home. It didn't help that someone was always trying to stick one of those things in his mouth when he was already feeling like crap--the fiery pain in his throat, the burning fever, that feeling of needing to sleep for one or two weeks.

Sometimes he didn't tell his parents that he felt sick. The teacher would finally notice how awful he looked and force him to go to the school nurse. She would then call one of them to drag his sorry butt home. "Did you know that your son was sick this morning?" the nurse would say to whoever lost the coin toss.

So, on top of feeling sick, he'd have to put up with Dad crossing his arms and frowning and asking, "Why didn't you say something, Jay?" Or he'd have Mom hovering around him constantly trying to shove a spoonful of soup or something into his mouth. "Are you sure you're okay?" Mom would ask until Jason wished that his ability to hear had been stopped along with his voice. When it wasn't so bad, he wanted to scream.

Of course, he couldn't scream because his throat hurt too much, so they would make their calls and bundle him up to see the doctor. She would do her best to try to make him throw up all over her shoes in a foolish attempt to see what was going on in the back of his throat. He could have told her that someone had poured acid down his throat if trying to talk didn't make him feel like he was swallowing flaming knives. When it was over, his parents would drag him back home and give him some nasty new medicine that made him want to throw up all over THEIR shoes. Luckily, he had managed to learn how to swallow pills a couple of years ago, so it wasn't that bad anymore. It wasn't good, but he wasn't ready to puke at any second.

"Jay, what are you doing up?"

He turned. He hadn't even heard his Dad open the door. For someone who looked so big, his dad moved more quietly than anyone he knew. He could always hear Mom coming a mile away because her heels would click or she'd be humming under her breath or chattering about something to Dad while she walked. Mom was always 'on' in a way that made her hard to ignore or miss.

"I couldn't sleep."

His Dad entered the room and stood behind him. "Have you been staring at your tonsils again?"

Jason hid the flashlight behind his back. "Uh, no."

"The surgery will go fine. It'll be short and afterwards, both of us will be there."

Jason shrugged and ducked his head. "You don't both have to go. I know you already missed a lot of work this semester 'cuz of me."

"Hey! What kind of talk is that? Of course we'll both be there. Your mom would go crazy if she wasn't, you know."

Jason giggled. "She'd probably pace around the place and bite her nails." It was strangely comforting to think of his mom worrying about him--as if the weight of her concern would keep the badness away.

"And if I don't come, she'd be hanging all over you and worrying."

"Yeah. That would suck," said Jason, even though the thought didn't bother him as much as he thought it should.

"Will you please go to sleep so we don't have to carry you to the hospital snoring and drooling?"

"Okay, already!" He sighed inwardly while he climbed into bed. You'd think that his parents wouldn't feel the need to check on him and practically tuck him in like a baby. He was twelve, after all. Pretty soon, he'd probably be taller than Mom. But, despite not wanting to be babied, he let Dad stand there and watch him climb into bed, and sit at the bedside. And he did it without complaining--just to make his Dad feel better, of course.

"Do you have any questions about tomorrow?"

Jason opened his mouth to ask the same question he'd asked a dozen times, but before he could get a word in, Dad interrupted him.

"Besides, 'Do I have to do this?'"

Jason shrugged. "I guess not."

"You'll be fine. And like I said, we'll be with you. Just sleep and, before you know it, this will all be a memory."

"I know. Thanks, Dad." Jason closed his eyes. "Okay. I'm going to sleep, now. See?" He hid a smile when his Dad kissed him on the forehead. "Don't you think I'm too--"

"No. You're never too old for a kiss good night."

"Great."

"Stop rolling your eyes. I can see them moving behind your eyelids."

Jason could no longer repress his grin. "Sorry."

"Good night."

"'Night."

* * *

In their bedroom, Angel was pacing when Collins entered the room. Besides wearing a path in the rug, she was chewing on a fingernail and frowning. "How is he? Should I go check on him? I don't want to make him nervous, but I don't want him to think I don't care. Is he sleeping? Why aren't you saying anything? Oh God. He's freaking out, isn't he?" Angel started heading for the door.

Collins grabbed his lover by the shoulders. "Angel!"

"What?" she asked, her brown eyes widened with endless worry.

"Calm down. He's fine."

Angel collapsed against Collins' chest and hugged him. "How can I calm down? He's going under the knife, tomorrow!"

"And he'll be fine. He's strong and healthy."

Angel muttered into Collins' chest, "If he's so healthy, why are we letting some hack stick sharp objects in his throat and cut out body parts?"

Collins framed Angel's face in his hands and looked down at his favorite worrywart. "I think I feel better now."

"Huh?" said Angel, confusion evident in the crease of her brow.

"When you're this worried, it's usually not that bad. It's when you're super calm and collected that I start to think that things are drastically wrong."

Angel pulled Collins' hands away and started pacing again. "This is no time for jokes. I don't know why I'm so scared."

Collins sat on the bed and watched Angel walk off some of her nervous energy. "Probably because we don't have any control over it."

"Of course we do. We could cancel the surgery."

"But you know that's not best for him."

Angel stopped her frantic walking and sat next to Collins. She leaned against his shoulder. "I know. I wish I could take my mind off of it."

"I could think of one thing."

Angel looked at Collins with bright eyes. "You mean...? You don't think it's too late? Should we?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Angel's smile was dazzling. "Great! It's been so long I don't even know if I'll remember how to work the equipment."

"It hasn't been THAT long."

"Oh, yes it has. I'll go set up. Oh. What about Jason?"

"Sure. Let him join too."

One hour later, Collins was huddled with Angel and Jason on the couch with bowls of popcorn, watching a marathon of funny movies and laughing up a storm.

* * *

"Stop fussing with the blanket. You'll wake him up."

"He's shivering."

"The doctor told us to expect that from the anesthesia."

"Right, but a warm blanket will probably help."

"Do you think that raising it half an inch is going to make a big difference? He's knocked out."

"If he's so knocked out, then I won't wake him."

Jason would have laughed at his parents' whispered bickering if it didn't feel like someone had poured liquid fire down his throat. His eyelids had also gained about three or four pounds and he was having trouble prying them open. Eventually, he could squint and see his Mom sitting next to him, one hand on the blanket, but looking up at Dad who was rubbing her back. Even when they were arguing, they acted all touchy-feely.

"It's all over. You can stop worrying so much."

"I'll stop worrying all together, when he wakes up."

"Right."

"What?"

"If you stop worrying, I'll start praying because I'm sure that'll be one of the signs of the apocalypse."

"Gimme a break."

Jason winced when his parents started laughing. His head still felt like it was stuffed with cotton and the sounds were muffled and disturbing. But though his head felt weird and heavy, he could feel his Mom's hand wrapped around his arm through the blanket. While they were talking, her hand was unconsciously rubbing his arm like she always did when Jason was sick. It was a small thing, but it always made him feel better.

"Do you think he knows how much I was worried? I hope I didn't make things worse for him?"

Jason heard a creak. He opened one a little bit so he could see his Dad sit on the arm of the chair and hug Mom to him.

"I doubt that you being worried for him because you love him could ever make him feel worse."

Jason couldn't have agreed more. Even the touchy-feely stuff didn't bother him. As soon as he could talk again, he'd let Mom know. Until then, he could safely give in to the need for sleep, knowing that they were both watching out for him and for each other.

**The End

* * *

**

A/N: I really hope you liked. Please review and don't be rude! Only losers are rude. 


	5. Seasons of Life

**_A/N: _**Ta-da!!! Another chapter for all you beautiful people. I'm sorry to say that the next chapter will be the last. I want to keep this going on more, but I'm starting to lose my creative inspiration, that and I've been really busy lately. So please read and review and once again thanks for all the reviews for the other chapters :)

Disclaimer: I will never own RENT or its characters. But I do own Jason.

* * *

Angel pulled Collins to the doorway of the living room and pointed to their son, Jason, who was slumped over on the sofa in a posture of defeat. "See? He's been like this all afternoon."

"Did he tell you what's wrong?"

"No. He keeps saying that I would never understand. What do you think it might be?"

Collins looked over at Jason carefully and took in the tell-tale hunched shoulders, the unconscious nail biting, and the woebegone, far-away face. "I bet he fell in love with someone."

"Jason? But he's only fifteen." Angel looked at Jason with new eyes. Why hadn't she seen it? And how the hell was she going to put a stop it?

"I can see the wheels turning, baby. If it's meant to happen now, it will happen."

Angel glared at Collins. "Will you stop doing that? You can't possibly know what I was thinking."

Collins nuzzled Angel on the cheek. "I've been reading that face for years. I consider myself an expert on my favorite subject."

"Oh, all right. If you put it that way..." Angel peered at Jason again. "Do you think we should ask him about it?"

"We could give him a little time to think things through before swooping in."

"After dinner sound okay with you?"

"Fine by me. Do you want to draw straws?"

Angel snickered. "What's the point? You always get the short one."

"One of these days, I'll figure out how you fix that. It can't happen EVERY time by accident."

"I would NEVER. It's pure luck."

Later that evening, with a short straw tucked in his pocket, Collins knocked on his son's bedroom door. "Jay, can I come in?"

"Sure, Dad," answered Jason through the closed door. His voice held none of its usual brightness.

Collins entered the room and pulled a chair close to the bed. Jason was sprawled across the covers, staring at the wall. "How was your first day back at school?"

"Fine."

"And your classes?"

"Fine."

"Your friends?"

"They're fine too."

"And the girl that you like?"

"She's fine...Huh? What?" Jason ripped his eyes away from their busy task of studying wall decor to look at his father. "Who told you?"

"You just did...And it wasn't hard for us to tell that something was on your mind."

"Great. Are we going to have a family conference about it? Where's Mom? Maybe she wants to take notes."

"We've all been through this, Jason. It's supposed to happen and you're not the first."

"It is a girl, you know."

Jason's chin was jutting defiantly and his lips were pressed into a tight line, but those eyes got Collins every time. No matter how fierce Jason tried to look, those big eyes that spilled every feeling would fire Collins up with the need to solve his son's problems, hug him and club anything or anyone that hurt him. It was hard to accept that not every battle needed Dad to come to the rescue. _Same old story_, he said to himself with an inward laugh. Collins ruffled Jason's hair until the teen pulled away and pouted.

"Come on, Dad!"

He drew his hand away with an ache for those days when a hair ruffling or a spontaneous hug had been welcome and sought after. It was time to put away the nostalgia and return to the subject at hand. "I hope you know that girl or boy isn't a big deal to us. Your mom likes to say that it's not who you love, it's how you love. I've always thought that was a pretty good philosophy."

Jason gnawed on a hang nail while thinking and staring at his father with indecision in his eyes. After a long silence, he spoke in a rush. "Her name is Desiree. She's new and she's cute, but she thinks I'm a freak and I don't know how to fix it."

"Are you sure she thinks that?"

"Yeah, she does. And she told Sean she had a boyfriend even though someone ELSE told me she doesn't. I don't get her."

Collins' head spun while trying to follow the tale. "She told Sean? She's a friend of his?"

"No. He doesn't even know her. He was, uh, introducing us."

"How could he introduce you if he doesn't know her?"

"I didn't want to go up to her, so Sean...Oh, never mind. That's not important, Dad. Can we please not change the subject?"

"I didn't think we had. Maybe you should introduce yourself next time."

Jason covered his face with his arm. "I can't! She'll think I'm a loser." A rapidly pinking cheek peeked out from under his shirt sleeve.

"Listen, let me tell you about the time your mom and I met. Maybe it will help."

* * *

Later that night, Collins slipped into bed and spooned himself behind his lover. "Baby?" 

Angel snuggled more deeply into the blankets, practically purring like a kitten when Collins touched her. "Mm-hmm? Oh, that's nice. Could you move your hand a little lower?"

Collins adjusted his hand and continued to rub slow circles on Angel's back. "I had a talk with our son about relationships." He began to lightly scratch her back and was rewarded with a stretch and a real purr.

"Oh, don't stop that. So, you were right about the crush?"

"Yeah. He's got it bad for a new girl at school. Her name is Desiree and he's nuts about her."

Angel sighed. "And so it begins. Does she sound nice at least?"

"Hard to tell...They haven't been formally introduced. It seems our boy is a little shy."

Angel snorted. "Jay? Shy? Since when?"

"It's a situational thing, but it's okay. We talked about how he can approach her."

"That's good. You always know what to do."

"Is that right?"

Angel turned to face Collins, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. "Uh-huh."

Collins showered his lover with moist kisses on all the spots that got to her. Angel's moans of pleasure had prompted a shout heard faintly from down the hall.

"I can hear you, ya know!"

Her head hit the pillow with a gasp. "I told you we should have done the soundproofing."

"Well, if you weren't so loud..."

"Loud?" retorted Angel with indignation. "I am NOT loud!"

"Yes, you are!" cried Jason from down the hall.

"Go to bed!" Angel shouted back. She scowled and started grumbling, "I swear to God he gets more and more like Maureen. He's starting to develop her supersonic hearing"

Collins kissed Angel's stomach, taking a moment to dip his tongue into her navel. "We'll just have to be very, very quiet." He started lapping at her stomach, darting cat-like tastes that became slow, drawn out licks up to Angel's chest. Collins could hear and feel her heart pounding. He placed an open-mouthed kiss on Angel's chest that received a groan. Collins broke off from his kissing to say, "Shush. He'll hear."

Angel nodded wordlessly and moved her hands to Collins' head, removing his knit beanie. She moved her fingers through his course hair and tugged at it while another, softer moan rose in her chest.

Collins gently extricated his lover's iron grip from his hair and pulled Angel's arms up towards the headboard. He dove in for a feather-light kiss of her mouth and pulled away before it could be reciprocated. Angel pouted; her passion-darkened eyes were heavy-lidded with need. "Please don't stop."

"Do you promise to be quiet?"

"Yes."

"You can do better than that. Do you really promise to be quiet?"

This time, she nodded silently. She closed his eyes and waited.

* * *

"Dad, may I ask you a question?" 

Collins looked up from the exam he had been preparing for one of his classes. "Sure, Jay. What is it?"

Jason seated himself across from his father and started fidgeting and twiddling his fingers, all the while not saying a word.

After almost a minute had ticked by, Collins couldn't take the suspense any more. "What's on your mind?"

"Uh...How do you know when you're in love?"

Collins pinched the bridge of his nose. "You've always asked the hard questions."

"It's just that I've been thinking about Desiree for weeks. Even when she's not there, I can see her face. And when I'm with her, my stomach feels funny."

"Uh oh," said Collins gravely.

Jason's eyes widened with alarm. "What? Why'd you say that?"

"You've got it and there's no cure."

At that moment, Angel walked into the kitchen. "He's got what? Jason, are you sick again?" She walked over and placed a hand on Jason's forehead.

"No," said Jason and pulled away, even as Collins said, "Yes."

Angel frowned at Collins while batting their son's hands away from his face so she could check for fever. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing!" cried Jason. "Christ, Mon. Do you have to act like I'm four?"

Collins ignored their son's whining and looked up at Angel. "He's got it bad. Desiree."

Angel raised her eyebrows and her face brightened with a smile and crinkle of her eyes. She nodded in commiseration. "Lovesickness?"

"Yep. A bad case of it."

The couple turned to look at their son who did, indeed, look a bit ill. "Why do you have to pick on me?" Jason said mournfully before dropping his head to the table.

Angel was immediately apologetic. She sat next to her son and put an arm around his shoulder. "We didn't mean to make fun of you. We've been there. We understand."

"It gets better," Collins added. "And there are the benefits if she feels the same."

Jason's face was covered in misery. "I want to tell her that I like her, but what if I like her more than she likes me?"

Angel cocked an eyebrow. "You COULD play hard to get."

"I could?"

"But that hardly ever works."

"Oh." Jason's face clouded with disappointment.

"It's very possible that she's faking."

"Faking? You mean she might not like me at all?" Jason's suffering seemed to multiply before their very eyes.

"No. Faking how little she likes you...I mean how much..." Angel visibly rethought her words. "I mean that maybe she likes you more than she lets on. Some people like to keep the upper hand in a relationship."

"What do I do?"

"Go along with it for now. If she likes you, give her some time to show it."

"That could take forever," said Jason with a sigh. He pushed his chair back and stood. "That's enough advice for one day. Thanks for letting me spill my guts. She invited me to do homework together at the library. Is it okay if I go?" His pain of a moment of ago seemed to have evaporated.

"No problem," said Angel. Collins nodded in agreement.

* * *

Collins woke and started to lift his head when the crick in his neck sent sharp pains down to his shoulder. Before he could process the pain, there was a warm hand rubbing away the knots that had formed while he had fallen asleep at the table. Perhaps he should have checked, but without turning, he could sense that this was Angel easing his ache. Over the years, he had tried to analyze it. Was it the smell of her soap or perfume? Was it a taste in the air or the sound of her footsteps? When no simple answer had been forthcoming, he stopped analyzing it and accepted it as something that just was, like the stars in the sky, or the water in the oceans, or the love that he felt for her: when Angel was around, Collins just knew it. One of these days, he might even get the hang of knowing it in his sleep. "When did you get back?" 

Angel had gone out to dinner with Mimi, Joanne and Maureen. Just a night out with the girls. He didn't expect her to be back until after midnight, and was surprised to see she was back before eleven.

"About half an hour ago."

The tension in his neck eased under Angel's gentle hands, left Collins relaxed and drowsy. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"I wanted to watch you. You look so cute when you're sleeping." Angel wrapped her arms around Collins and leaned her head against her lover's. "I missed you at dinner."

"Didn't the girls keep you entertained?"

"Uh huh. We ate and had fun, but it wasn't the same without you. Coming to bed?"

"Yeah." Collins closed the book on the table.

"What's this?" Angel picked up the Polaroid picture that had been hidden under the book.

"I was trying out that camera Mark got us."

"Don't tell me you haven't used it until now. He gave it to us on our anniversary weeks ago!"

"It took me that long just to figure it out. Jason wasn't so into posing, but he couldn't resist Desiree's charm. What do you think?"

Angel examined the picture more closely. It was strange how life could be measured on mere slips of glossy paper with bits of color. All those slips of paper hung on the walls of their living room in a motley assortment of frames. No one knew when the walls had become a three-dimensional family album. Scattered among the more personal mementos were photographs: Maureen and Joanne's commitment ceremony, the birth of Roger and Mimi's daughter, Nadia, the beach party they'd had three summers ago to celebrate the end of the season. That was one of Angel's favorite. Everyone had all been there, including Benny, and had posed for the picture taken by a helpful stranger who had been passing by and looking bemused at the large and rowdy group. Of course, he and his girlfriend had been invited to join them because as large as this family was, there was always room for more.

They were all around Angel, all these reminders of their life. Taken as a whole, they would probably fit in a manila envelope with room to spare, but what they represented could never fit in any earthly container. Now there would be one more. Jason was smiling and looking just to the left of the camera's eye. He was pressed cheek to cheek with Desiree who was smiling brilliantly, dimples flashing. Her golden brown eyes sparkled as they did in real life. It was easy to see why Jason was so smitten. Even in the picture, her charm seemed to spring from it, as bouncy as the reddish-brown curls that surrounded her face like a halo.

"This is wonderful. I can't believe how much he's grown. They make a cute couple."

"Think this one should go on the wall?"

"Absolutely." Surrounded with all the precious moments of her and her family's life, Angel was fiercely glad for every moment experienced, each one a cherished part of her heart. She hugged Collins tighter, unable to say everything that was welling up inside. "Forget the picture for now. Let me show you how much I really missed you."

She closed her eyes so she could better feel Collins' face against her own. She opened her eyes and turned the chair so she could look at the beloved face before her. There were a few extra lines around Collins' deep brown eyes that showed when he smiled, but he was just the way Angel remembered when they had first met. "I do love you, you know."

"I know. It's one of the few things that keeps me going. That and loving you right back."

Angel swallowed the lump in her throat, but she couldn't speak any more. Over time, she had lost the need to explain her every mood because Collins seemed to understand instinctively what she needed. She urged him to his feet and started the short walk to their bedroom.

On the way, Collins asked, "You think Jason will ever have what we have?"

Angel stopped to surround Collins with a breathtaking hug. "He will if he's lucky."

* * *

**_A/N:_** I hope you liked. Please tell me what you think. I will be your bestest friend for life if you do. 


	6. Legacy

**_A/N: _**I'm back with the final chapter. I'm tired because it's 3:30 in the morning and I just spent the last 3 hours typing this. Please read and review. I'll give everyone a cookie and a cookie to those who reviewed the other chapters too. No flames please because only losers flame. 

**Disclaimer**: I have not nor will I ever own RENT or its characters. I only own additional characters.

* * *

Mark sat in his living room, impatiently waiting for a phone call. Roger, Nadia, Maureen and Joanne had come over to keep him company. Roger and Joanne sat on the couch quietly talking while Nadia was doing normal ten-year-old kid things. Maureen sat beside Mark and held his hand. She asked, "Did he call yet?"

Mark answered, "No, he didn't and I'm getting worried. What if something's wrong?"

Roger spoke up. "A woman's first baby usually takes the longest. Without modern medicine to push things along, the labor process can last for several days."

Maureen and Mark turned to look at him in puzzlement.

"Something I learned when Mimi was pregnant with Nadia," Roger said by way of explanation.

Mark walked to the phone. "I'm calling the hospital." But before he could pick it up, it rang, startling them all. He reached for the phone, but then started to pull back, his hand wavering with his indecision.

Joanne yelled, "For Chrissakes! Pick it up, Mark!"

"But what if--"

"Pick it up!"

Mark lifted the handset and the ringing ceased. With hesitation, he placed the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Uncle Mark! What took you so long?"

"Um, I'm sorry. I was in another room. What's going on, Jason? How's Desiree?"

"You can bring everyone here. The doctor said it won't be much longer."

Mark's heart started to pound erratically in his chest. His hand shook so much that he almost dropped the phone receiver. "Are you serious?"

Jason laughed, his nervous happiness traversing the phone line. "Of course. Get down here as fast you can or you'll miss the whole thing."

"Okay. We'll be there."

"Desi's been asking for you guys."

"Just tell her to concentrate on keeping her strength up. We'll be there before you can blink an eye."

"See you, Uncle Mark."

"Bye." Mark hung the phone up carefully as if it were made of blown glass. He turned to face the others in the room.

Maureen was already putting on her coat. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."

* * *

"Mark, will you please stand still? You're driving me crazy."

"How can I sit still, Rog? It's been so long! What if something's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong and stop saying that."

"Why haven't we heard the baby cry?"

"It's not born yet."

"Why not?"

"Cohen, if you don't..." Roger's partially spoken threat was interrupted by the voice of a woman yelling loudly, the cheers of several people, and the piercing cry of one newly born. "Oh my God!" Maureen said with astonishment. Her eyes sparkled with unshed moisture.

Mark found a seat and sat in it, trying to hold back the churning in his stomach. His hands shakily wiped the sweat from his brow. He watched Maureen stand, walk carefully to the delivery room, and try to peek around the curtain that hid the room from view. "Maureen," Joanne said. "Give Desiree some privacy for Christ's sake."

"But I want to see." Maureen turned and saw Mark. She frowned in concern. "Are you okay, Markie?"

Mark nodded, the motion setting his stomach to churning again. He pressed a hand against it as if that would calm the maelstrom inside.

After what seemed like an eternity, one of the nurse's came out of the room. "Are you with the Collins family?"

Mark stood up, "Yes, we're Jason's family. Are Desiree and the baby okay?"

"Make that 'babies'. She delivered twins. Congratulations!"

"Are they boys or girls?" Maureen asked eagerly.

Jason stepped out behind the nurse. "No fair, Aunt Mo. You promised you'd let us tell you first. Come meet our son and daughter!" His eyes were wide as if he were a bit stunned at his own words.

Jason led everyone into the room. They all gasped at the appearance of the proud mother and father each holding a squirming, thick, white blanket. Jason said, "Look at them. Aren't they the most beautiful babies you ever saw?" The baby Jason held was red-faced and crying. His hair was plastered to his head under a tiny cap. His balled up fist rested against a plump cheek. The baby Desiree held was identical to her but quiet and peaceful.

They all oohed and aahed over the babies, all clamoring for a closer look while battling their tossed emotions. Mark reached into his pocket, pulled out a photo and held it up to the baby boy's face. "Say hello to your grandma and grandpa. They would have loved to have seen you." The baby blinked as if he could understand what was being said. Then he yawned, revealing a dimple in his right cheek. He closed his eyes again and fell asleep. Mark looked up at Jason with happiness. "Congratulations... Daddy."

Jason's eyes were still on the photograph. He turned and handed the baby to Joanne, who was in total awe of the baby. He turned back to Mark, his face crumpling with anguish. Mark immediately wrapped his arms around Jason. "It's okay, Jay. It's okay. I'm sorry."

Jason's shoulders shook and he sobbed for the one dark spot on this happy occasion, for the loss that couldn't be replaced or forgotten by any of them. Roger stepped up behind Jason and laid his hand on his shoulder in gentle comfort. When he was finally able to speak, Jason whispered, "I can't believe how much I miss them."

Mark nodded sadly. "I know."

"They should have been here."

"But they are."

Jason pulled away and looked into Mark's eyes. "You always say that, but do you really believe it?" He wiped the tears from his face and looked at Mark more closely. He nodded tiredly as if that look was all the answer he needed. "Good. If you stopped believing, I don't know what I'd do. I don't know where I'd be without Mom and Dad and Aunt Mimi watching over all of us." He looked towards his extended family and the new additions "We're going to need all the help we can get."

Mark patted Jason on the shoulder. It still amazed him that the small child--a baby, really--who had come to Angel and Collins so many years ago, was standing before him as a grown man--and a family man, no less. "I think you'll do fine on your own, but it never hurts to have a little extra help."

"Thanks, Uncle. As soon as Desi gets moved to her room, you'll come and say hello? She was asking for all of you."

"You couldn't keep us away if you tried."

* * *

Later that day, Desiree Collins' hospital room was bursting at the seams. Mark, Roger Nadia, Maureen, Joanne, Jason's best friend, Sean, and Desiree's mom, Alexandra, were all making goo-goo eyes at the babies being held in Jason's arms. Desiree was in bed, valiantly not complaining about how tired and sore she must be. Instead, her face radiated relief and happiness. She held on loosely to Mark's hand and granted him a shaky smile.

"Uncle Mark, you haven't stopped grinning since you got here."

"Can you blame me?"

She looked across the small room at her husband. The glow in his face was a mirror of her own. Her eyes fell shut and she began to tremble. Mark squeezed her hand in a comforting manner. "Hey... Hey, darling. It's okay."

She kept her eyes shut and pressed his hand in return. "I was so scared."

"Couldn't tell. You were very brave."

"I thought something terrible would happen."

"Nothing did. You were fantastic and the babies are fine--perfect, in fact."

"How are we going to do this? What do Jason and I know about being parents?"

"Roger said he was terrified the first three years after Nadia was born and now he's only scared witless."

That earned him a laugh and a groan as she winced a little in pain.

"Desiree--"

That got her attention. "Uh-oh. I know that tone. I'm in for a long lecture, aren't I?"

"Sit back and relax. I've been practicing," said Mark with a chuckle. "Seriously, you and Jason are both strong, caring people and you're even better together. I know that you'll love, cherish, and do your best for your kids."

Desiree felt tears fill her eyes and clog her throat. "You always know the right thing to say, Uncle Mark."

Mark shook his head in denial. "No. I just keep talking until I hit the right mark."

"Now I know where Jason gets it from." They both laughed. She sobered quickly and said, "We picked names. We hope you all are okay with them."

"Why on earth wouldn't we be? We have to call them something besides 'the boy' and the 'the girl' "

She bit her lip and took a deep breath before saying softly, "We wanted to name them Thomas and Angel."

Mark clutched Desiree's hand, kissed it and let it go, smiling at her. He stood and walked to the group around the babies while the sensation of her worried eyes burned into his back. He should have turned to say something, to make some comment, but he was at a loss to reassure her before he reassured himself.

"Jason, may I hold one of the babies? Just for a couple of minutes?"

Jason looked up and frowned with concern. He looked over Mark's shoulder for a moment, and nodded--presumably at his wife. "Of course, Uncle Mark." He handed little Angel to Mark while handing little Thomas to Desiree's mom.

Mark took the precious bundle into his arms for the first time. The infant was sleeping despite all the excitement and activity around her. Mark stroked the baby's cheek until her eyes fluttered open. She looked more like her lovely mother than anyone else: curly cinnamon brown hair and a hint of gold in her skin. The light brown eyes blinked closed again and Mark sighed with disappointment that the glimpse had been so brief. He looked up toward the ceiling. "What do you think?" he whispered out to seemingly nowhere.

"She may be sleeping now, but I predict that she'll be spirited enough to cause some trouble later. Just like her grandparents"

Jason came up next to Mark with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Are you okay, Uncle Mark? You looked far away."

"I'm fine. I'm here. I was just saying hello to little Angel." Mark put his finger in the baby's palm, which had opened for a moment.

Jason suddenly looked unaccountably nervous. "I should have told you guys earlier. We hope you like them."

"I love the names, Jason. Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Do you think Mom and Dad would have liked it?"

"Yes, Jason. I know they would have loved it."

**The End**

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_A/N: _**This marks the end of story, people. I hope you liked it and thanks for all the reviews. :) 


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